﻿TOTAL 
  ECLIPSE 
  OF 
  THE 
  SUN, 
  JULY 
  28, 
  1851. 
  339 
  

  

  seconds 
  had 
  elapsed. 
  The 
  time 
  stated 
  as 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  eclipse, 
  is, 
  

   therefore, 
  probably 
  two 
  seconds 
  too 
  late. 
  This 
  was 
  2 
  h 
  53 
  m 
  4 
  S 
  4 
  Goteborg 
  mean 
  

   time. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  numerous 
  mountains 
  on 
  the 
  moon's 
  limb, 
  which 
  gave 
  it 
  a 
  sensibly 
  

   serrated 
  appearance, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  much 
  more 
  sharply 
  defined 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   sun. 
  The 
  gradually 
  decreasing 
  brightness 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  disc 
  from 
  the 
  centre 
  to- 
  

   wards 
  the 
  edges, 
  which 
  is 
  pointed 
  out 
  by 
  Mr 
  Airy 
  in 
  his 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  eclipse 
  of 
  

   1842, 
  was 
  best 
  seen 
  when 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  about 
  half 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  moon. 
  

  

  Repeated 
  attempts 
  were 
  now 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  naked 
  eye, 
  with 
  the 
  telescope, 
  and 
  

   with 
  a 
  French 
  opera-glass 
  of 
  1-9 
  inches 
  aperture, 
  and 
  5*8 
  inches 
  focal 
  distance, 
  

   to 
  ascertain 
  whether 
  the 
  moon's 
  disc 
  was 
  sensibly 
  illuminated, 
  and 
  whether 
  any 
  

   part 
  of 
  its 
  limb 
  was 
  visible 
  beyond 
  the 
  sun. 
  But 
  although 
  in 
  every 
  trial, 
  the 
  

   sun's 
  light 
  was 
  as 
  little 
  diminished 
  by 
  the 
  dark 
  glasses 
  as 
  the 
  eye 
  could 
  bear, 
  the 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  moon 
  looked 
  quite 
  black, 
  and 
  no 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  limb 
  was 
  visible 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  sun's 
  disc. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  eclipse, 
  the 
  cusps 
  continued 
  perfectly 
  sharp, 
  as 
  re- 
  

   presented 
  in 
  fig. 
  3, 
  until 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  reduced 
  to 
  an 
  extremely 
  narrow 
  crescent 
  of 
  

   90°, 
  or 
  less, 
  when 
  they 
  began 
  to 
  assume 
  a 
  decidedly 
  rounded 
  appearance 
  (fig. 
  4). 
  

   It 
  seemed 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  light 
  had 
  flowed 
  beyond 
  its 
  proper 
  boundary, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  invade 
  

   the 
  province 
  of 
  darkness 
  ; 
  the 
  cusps 
  becoming 
  disfigured, 
  much 
  as 
  they 
  would 
  

   have 
  been 
  had 
  one 
  attempted 
  to 
  draw 
  their 
  outline 
  in 
  ink 
  upon 
  blotting 
  paper, 
  

   where 
  the 
  ink 
  flowed 
  slightly 
  beyond 
  the 
  limit 
  traced 
  by 
  the 
  pen 
  * 
  

  

  Daylight 
  had 
  now 
  greatly 
  diminished, 
  and 
  the 
  air 
  felt 
  chilly. 
  Towards 
  the 
  

   west, 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  approaching 
  shadow 
  of 
  the 
  moon, 
  the 
  sky 
  looked 
  ex- 
  

   tremely 
  black 
  and 
  frowning, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  landscape 
  wore 
  a 
  peculiarly 
  cold 
  and 
  

   desolate 
  air. 
  The 
  light 
  had 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  gray 
  tint 
  of 
  morning, 
  and 
  less 
  

   than 
  I 
  expected 
  of 
  the 
  peculiar 
  greenish 
  hue 
  I 
  remember 
  to 
  have 
  observed 
  at 
  

   Edinburgh, 
  in 
  the 
  eclipses 
  of 
  May 
  1836 
  and 
  July 
  1842; 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  totality 
  ap- 
  

   proached, 
  the 
  sky 
  assumed 
  a 
  more 
  cloudy 
  appearance 
  than 
  it 
  had 
  at 
  the 
  com- 
  

   mencement 
  of 
  the 
  eclipse, 
  either 
  from 
  the 
  actual 
  formation 
  of 
  clouds, 
  or 
  as 
  I 
  

   could 
  not 
  help 
  thinking, 
  from 
  something 
  in 
  the 
  altered 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  light 
  render- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  existing 
  clouds 
  more 
  visible. 
  

  

  The 
  sun 
  was 
  now 
  nearly 
  gone, 
  and 
  darkness 
  was 
  coming 
  on 
  with 
  a 
  degree 
  of 
  

   rapidity 
  which 
  was 
  quite 
  startling. 
  From 
  the 
  accounts 
  of 
  previous 
  eclipses, 
  I 
  

   was 
  prepared 
  to 
  anticipate 
  something 
  very 
  awful 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  certainly 
  did 
  not 
  expect 
  

   that 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  phenomenon 
  would 
  have 
  affected 
  me 
  so 
  much. 
  An 
  instan- 
  

  

  * 
  Shakespeare 
  makes 
  Hecate 
  say 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  Upon 
  the 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  moon 
  

  

  There 
  hangs 
  a 
  vaporous 
  drop 
  profound." 
  

  

  This 
  odd 
  fancy 
  forms 
  no 
  unapt 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  rounded 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  cusps, 
  which 
  certainly 
  

   looked 
  very 
  much 
  as 
  if 
  a 
  drop 
  of 
  liquid 
  were 
  depending 
  from 
  them. 
  

  

  VOL 
  XX. 
  PART 
  III. 
  4 
  Z 
  

  

  